International

China Expresses Will to Cooperate with S. Korea on N. Korean Nuke Issue

Write : 2016-08-22 08:58:28Update : 2016-08-22 09:02:14

A high-ranking Chinese official has reiterated Beijing’s stance that it is resolute about realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that China’s deputy foreign minister Liu Zhenmin made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kim Hyoung-zhin on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting among the deputy foreign chiefs, which also included Japan.

According to the ministry, Liu said China will continue its dialogue and cooperation with South Korea regarding the North Korean nuclear issue.

Regarding the controversial issue of the planned deployment of the THAAD battery in South Korea, the ministry said that Kim and Liu exchanged their governments’ basic stances on the issue, with Kim emphasizing that disagreement on a particular issue should not undermine efforts to develop bilateral relations between Seoul and Beijing.

Kim and Japanese deputy foreign minister Takeo Akiba also held a bilateral meeting early on Sunday and exchanged opinions regrading issues of mutual concern, including the Seoul-Tokyo agreement to solve Japan’s wartime sexual slavery.

The ministry said Akiba reaffirmed Tokyo’s plan to swiftly finish its internal proceedings to provide the one billion yen fund it promised to the Seoul-based Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, which was set up on July 28.